Uttarakhand has been rated top in the green ranking of Planning Commission of India based on quality of air and water, waste management, forest cover and climate change.

The panel lists Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh as the other top four states on its Environmental Performance Index, which will serve as a measure of a state’s green initiative and be linked to financial assistance from the Centre.

The index was prepared after the government in 2010 decided to rework the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula for determining central assistance to states to include an environmental parameter.